Forget that contrived image created for the Summer Olympics by LDS leaders through a slick public relations campaign. They wanted tourists to believe that their city was somehow a modern cosmopolitan place, a pluralistic experiment within largely ethnocentric Utah.

A Ford Motor heir donated $10 million dollars to build yet another temple for ISKCON in Calcutta. Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford, says he wants it to be Krishna’s version of the “Vatican.”

But why doesn’t the organization earmark this money for rebuilding the lives of abused Krishna children rather than erecting another edifice?

ISKCON wants the public to believe it has “changed,” but many of the key leaders that presided over the group’s darkest days are still in power.

It often seems that when Krishna leaders say “change,” they really mean a bit of remodeling, like the announced additions to an Indian temple.

However, the basic problems that have caused many to consider ISKCON a “cult” still seem intact.

Maybe that’s why former Beatle George Harrison, a long-time supporter of the group, left all his money to family and no cash for Krishna in the end?

This is one event the guru wants forgotten and there are other issues he hopes will be ignored.

Former members have repeatedly accused the guru of sexual abuse and exploitation of his followers. They say the self-proclaimed “celibate” actually takes in more than exercise to meet his physical needs.

And like many “cult leaders” this guru has restaurants, which can be quite profitable since devotees often work for little pay. Chinmoy runs several vegetarian eateries; one thrives within Flushing Queens.

A New York food critic recently raved about Chinmoy’s low prices though she admitted, “The place is run by…a cultish group.” But then advised, “Don’t let this stop you from trying their restaurant.” Adding, “You get used to the Sri Chinmoy music in the background,” reported the Queens Chronicle.

The guru business continues to pay well and Chinmoy apparently can count on the press to promote his pet projects and business concerns.

CultNewsreported last month how Scientology seemed to be using the plight of New York firemen to promote its own agenda through a so-called “clinic” in downtown Manhattan.

Well it seems Scientology is now taking its show on the road and soliciting donations with NY firemen as featured guests.

Firefighters from New York flew to Colorado apparently as promotional props for the Scientology related project “Downtown Medical” reported the Vail Daily.

Some funding was solicited through “The New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Fund.”

James Woodworth, who heads another Scientology related program called HealthMed in California, was on hand in Vail as the director of operations for the “New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project.”

Doctors at the California Department of Health Services have accused HealthMed of making “false medical claims” and of “taking advantage of the fears of workers and the public about toxic chemicals and their potential health effects.”

A retired New York fireman appeared in Vail and claimed that the Scientology ritual of cleansing called the “purification rundown” “miraculously reversed [his] health.”

However, a source recently told CultNews that some New York firemen and their families are not happy with the “Downtown Clinic” and feel their union should identify its programs as Scientology related and investigate any related health risks.

The “purification rundown” used by the clinic is based upon the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The “rundown” includes sweating out toxins in a sauna and large doses of niacin.

A Swedish medical expert concluded, “There is no documentation to show that the Hubbard method of detoxification…conforms to scientific standards and medical experience.” And that “the risks and side effects of the treatment method have also not been evaluated in a serious way.”

It seems like Scientology is shilling Hubbard’s “rundown” frantically lately.

John Travolta’s wife and fellow Scientologist Kelly Preston promoted another “purification rundown” program on Montel to expel environmental toxins like carpet cleaner.

The “rundown” is also an essential component of Narconon; a Scientology related drug rehab program.

So why has the New York Fireman’s Union remained silent about all this?

Shouldn’t union officials protect firemen by investigating such controversial programs before they become involved to avoid any potential health risks?

Scientology related programs might prove to be a “toxin” difficult to purge from within the New York Fire Department.

Scientology routinely uses celebrity members to promote its associated programs, such as Tom Cruise and his recent round of appearances related to “Applied Scholastics.”

Goldie Hawn is probably picking up a hefty honorarium for her professional appearance at Raniere’s birthday bash. But the Oscar winner, who first became widely known through the television show Laugh In, should realize that this is no joke.

Raniere and his group are using her name to promote NXIVM, a group that has allegedly hurt families and students.

A spokesperson for ISKCON says this will be “a wonderful opportunity for the public to experience cultural diversity.”

But critics of Hare Krishna often call the movement a “cult” not a culture.

ISKCON has a troubled history, which includes a top leader’s arrest and imprisonment for mail fraud and three counts of racketeering, including conspiring to kill a former member. And that leader once controlled one of Krishna’s most important Temples in West Virginia.

It should be noted that many Hindus reject the Krishna’s claim that it represents a legitimate branch of Hinduism rooted in that religion’s long history.

According to the mainstream magazine Hinduism Today, “There are reports of Hindus who joined ISKCON only to be taught to reject their family’s religion…so many have assumed they are Hindus. To find out they are not will certainly surprise many–Hindus and non-Hindus alike. It may even surprise a few Hare Krishnas themselves.”

ISKCON has certainly learned the hard way that they are vulnerable to the courts and public opinion and they seem intent upon changing their sordid image.

A Krishna monk is now traveling across Canada in what he calls a “spiritual healing walk” for that country in yet another apparent image-improvement effort reports The Sault Star.

But what has really changed other than appearances?

One visible sign of meaningful change might be no more chanting Krishna devotees peddling books at airports.

According to one news web page in England purported “cult leader,” “liar” and “crazy” L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, was really a “humanitarian, world-renowned photographer and author.”

Well, he did write.

Liz Nygaard a reporter for the web page “This is Kent” gushes these posthumous titles within an article about photography workshops held annually within Hubbard’s old mansion in England.

The event, which has been run for seven summers, was organized Gray Levett an English camera dealer.

Levett a Scientologist is ranked by the organization as one of its top 100 International Patrons. This essentially means he gives a lot of money to Scientology.

Levett apparently managed to get Nikon UK LTD, Kodak professional films and the Nikon Owners Club International as sponsors for the Hubbard house workshops.

The stately stone Saint Hill manor house was once a kind of royal residence for L. Ron Hubbard. It was from this manse that he ruled over a burgeoning Sci-fi religious empire through much of the 1960s.

And it was there that Hubbard often instructed his disciples in Dianetics and offered them other Scientology courses and training.

But maybe Ms. Nygaard should have dug deeper and done a little research about the history of this place.

Saint Hill was also where one former member of what he called an “evil cult” testified that “subconscious duress following a period of processing” took place.

The fictional hero created by author J.K. Rowling continues to be a “whipping boy” for religious fanatics worldwide.

This past Sunday members of the “Jesus Non-denominational Church” of Greenville, Michigan burned copies of Harry Potter along with other damned books at a church bonfire reported Associated Press.

Like Germans under Nazi rule these zealots were led to believe that evil can be spread easily through inanimate objects like reading material.

The Nazis liked to condemn art too and they staged more than a few book burnings.

Church members in Michigan shouted “Hallelujah,” “Thank you, God” and “Burn, devil, burn” as the tomes turned to cinders and some CDs sizzled.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, other fanatics picked up on the same theme.

“The Harry Potter books are evil. They teach sorcery and run counter to the Bible,” proclaimed Ling-Leung Church preachers in Taiwan as reported by CNN.

Like their fellow fanatics in America the Taiwanese church members managed to burn some books too.

Meanwhile the latest installment of Harry Potter has sold 1.8 million copies in Taiwan alone. And the author has repeatedly stated publicly that she is not interested in promoting witchcraft, which she doesn’t even believe in personally.

Magic or sorcery in the Potter books is obviously only a theme utilized as a vehicle for fantasy.

Nevertheless a church leader in Michigan warned about allowing “Satan to take the minds of our children.”

But isn’t bad behavior or evil more likely to come forth from a mindset built upon unreasonable fear, paranoid suspicion and hysteria?

Disclaimer

This news page is about groups, organizations or movements, which may have been called "cults" and/or "cult-like" in some way, shape or form. But not all groups called either "cults" or "cult-like" are harmful. Instead, they may be benign and generally defined as simply people intensely devoted to a person, place or thing. Therefore, the discussion or mention of a group, organization or person on this page, is not necessarily meant pejoratively.